Overview: American Studies is one of the most exciting and challenging of all the humanities and social science disciplines. Our department provides a systematically interdisciplinary approach to the historical study of the cultures of the United States, and to the critical analysis of their ongoing evolution. Within the framework of the great Jesuit humanist tradition, the American Studies Department trains students in the skills of clear thinking, writing, and speaking, as well as the abilities associated with interpreting literary texts, evaluating historical documents and artifacts, applying humanistic and social science methods and theoretical approaches, and reflecting morally about the problems and issues they address in the classroom.
Curriculum: The Department of American Studies at Saint Louis University offers courses, internships, and thesis projects leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree. American Studies also makes an excellent minor to accompany a range of majors. Even if you are not a major or minor in the department, you will find many exciting and challenging courses available every semester. The Department of American Studies at Saint Louis University is committed to excellence and originality in research, teaching, and service. Faculty and graduate students work toward these goals by building strong mentoring relationships, by establishing dynamic and innovative classroom experiences, and by disseminating research through conferences, workshops, exhibits, and publications. In addition, the department places a high value on creative work as a form of scholarly training and exchange. Finally, faculty in the department are committed to the thorough professional preparation of every graduate student.
Careers in the Field: American Studies prepares students for interesting careers that emphasize creativity, writing, analysis, communication, research, and civic engagement. Graduates of the American Studies Department may prepare for careers in museums, government, law, media, or education. Many business organizations value American Studies training for work in public relations, marketing, advertising, diversity outreach, and tourism. Foundations, agencies, arts institutions, and non-profit organizations make extensive use of the broad education students receive in American Studies.
Some graduates choose to spend time in volunteer service before pursuing careers. Some go abroad through programs like the Peace Corps, traipsing off to locations around the globe. Others work in national programs such as AmeriCorps, Teach for America, and Volunteers in Service to America. Still others become involved with faith-based service projects such as the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Catholic Worker, the Jewish Federation, and the YMCA. And finally, some students pursue service through labor organizing, public advocacy work, literacy training, and other local efforts.
About the Faculty: In 1995, Prof. Kolmer succeeded in transforming American Studies at Saint Louis University into a full-fledged department, with dedicated faculty lines and resources for research and graduate training. Today, faculty in the department are building upon the strong foundation of teaching and mentoring established by Prof. Kolmer, Prof. Lawrence Barman, and Prof. Shirley Loui. This strong foundation has allowed current faculty to develop a range of initiatives in research, teaching, professional and community service.
Saint Louis University, Madrid Campus is designed to fulfill the first two years of undergraduate study in traditional university degree programs. Most of our students finish the last two years of their degrees in the U.S. at our main campus in Missouri (or at another U.S. university in the world).
As such, the Madrid Campus cannot accept transfer students with more than 45 credit hours, with the exception of Spanish and International Business majors, who can now spend all four years in Madrid, and graduate with a bachelor's degree from Saint Louis University.
